One thing that I find incredibly frustrating about Shopify’s inventory management capabilities is how it handles the Incoming Stock Quantities. By requiring a Purchase Order to be created in order to enter a quantity of incoming stock, it (a) assumes that one is placing the restock order directly through Shopify and (b) requires one to then receive the incoming inventory through Shopify using the created Purchase Order.
We order from dozens of distributors, none of whom accept orders in the Shopify format. So, to follow Shopify’s instructions to create (and then receive from) a Shopify-created Purchase Order is adding an additional layer of unnecessary work in order to have correct incoming stock numbers. We place orders directly with distributors using their preferred ordering method, and we receive that stock into Shopify manually as it arrives.
All we need is the capability to put a number in the Incoming Stock field without having to create a Purchase Order and then receive the stock through that Purchase Order.
This would be such a huge help with our inventory control. If we could just enter a number in that Incoming Stock field, it would then tell us, at a glance, if a restock had been placed and how many items we’re waiting on.
It know that this small change would make a world of difference every single day for us, and I guess I’m wondering if anyone else feels the same way (or if anyone else has a workaround they can suggest that doesn’t require duplicating tasks that we’re already doing outside of Shopify).
I also really, really wish that we could assign reorder levels for individual items within Shopify and not have to use a third party App to do so.
Hopefully that all makes sense. Thanks for any assistance anyone might have to offer.
Hi @MorrowRecords
I totally understand your frustration with Shopify’s current setup for managing incoming stock. As it stands, Shopify requires the creation of a purchase order (PO) to log incoming inventory, which can be cumbersome, especially when dealing with multiple distributors who don’t use Shopify’s PO system.
Current Shopify Process:1. Create a Purchase Order: In Shopify, you generate a PO for the products you’re restocking.
- Receive Inventory: Once the products arrive, you mark them as received in Shopify to update your available stock levels.
This process assumes you’re managing orders through Shopify, which isn’t always the case.
Alternative Approaches:
Currently, Shopify doesn’t offer a built-in feature to adjust incoming stock quantities without creating a PO. However, here are a couple of workarounds:
1-Manual Inventory Adjustments:- Navigate to the Products section in your Shopify admin panel.
- Select the product you want to update.
- In the Inventory section, manually adjust the Available quantity to reflect the new stock.
Note: This method updates your available stock immediately and doesn’t differentiate between current and incoming stock.
2-Third-Party Inventory Management Apps:- Consider using apps like Stocky or other inventory management tools available in the Shopify App Store.
- These apps often provide more flexibility, allowing you to manage incoming stock without the need for Shopify’s PO system.
Note: Integrating third-party apps can streamline your inventory process, but they may come with additional costs.
Setting Reorder Levels:
Regarding setting reorder levels without third-party apps, Shopify’s native features are somewhat limited. You can set up low stock alerts by exporting inventory reports and monitoring them manually, but for automated notifications and more advanced inventory control, third-party solutions are often necessary.
Conclusion:
While Shopify’s current system has its limitations, utilizing manual adjustments or integrating third-party apps can help bridge the gap in managing incoming stock and setting reorder levels.
If you need any other assistance, feel free to reply, and I will try my best to help.
Best regards,
Daisy
Hi Mike,
Not sure if it helps but using the auto preorder app StockFlow (https://www.stockflow.co) you are able to upload a purchase order using csv so could end up being a lot easier, also if something sells out it will automatically turn into a pre order (using the date of your purchase order) so you can keep selling your stock without having to wait for it to arrive first!
Best,
Sam
Unfortunately, every solution given here (appreciated though they are) is just way more complicated than it needs to be. We don’t want to sell stock that we don’t have on hand. We don’t need all the multiple features that the plug-ins offer. Again, we don’t have any vendors who accept orders created in Shopify. We place our orders online using our distributor’s B2B sites, and we receive incoming stock from the vendors’ invoices. We enter the stock into Shopify, obviously, but don’t receive it using a Shopify P.O. Creating a P.O. within Shopify (or within a third-party plugin) is simply duplicating what we’ve already created outside of Shopify. It’s twice the work. All we need is a simple data field in the quantity area of each item that we can type a number into that shows what’s on its way. Period.